Tips When Buying Ham
- Hams are available as fully-cooked (most popular and is ready to eat), “cook before eating” (not completely cooked and should be cooked), and country (distinctively flavored, cured).
- Hams are most often sold as either boneless or bone-in. Bone-in hams are marketed whole, in halves, in butt or shank portions, or center cut slices. Boneless are easy to slice, have little or no waste, and are often the best buy although the price is higher. They are sold whole or cut into halves or quarters.
- Canned hams are available either as a whole piece of boneless meat or formed from bits of meat held together with a gelatin mixture (generally the smaller canned ham).
- Choose firm, plump hams that are rosy pink and finely grained. Country hams range in color from pale pink to deep red.
Storage
- Store fresh ham in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Cured hams can be kept up to one week in the refrigerator in their original wrapping.
- Canned ham should be stored according to label directions.
- Freezing is not generally recommended for ham because flavor and texture changes, but these changes are minimal if the ham is frozen less than 2 months in an airtight container.
Preparation
- Ham can be baked, grilled, sautéed, broiled or simmered.
- Even if a ham is “fully cooked” its flavor is improved by heating.
- Remove all but ¼- to ½ -inch of the fat from the ham before glazing. Cook fat side up so the fat will partially melt as the meat roasts and will self-baste.
- If ham is not cooked, cook at 325ºF to an internal temperature of 160ºF.
- If reheating ham, internal temperature should be 140ºF—about 8 to 10 minutes per pound in a 325ºF oven.
Miscellaneous
- Don’t worry about the iridescence on the surface of ham—it’s simply a reaction some curing agents have to air and light.
- A ham bone should always be saved for later use. Simply freeze to flavor soups, stews, beans or broth.
- Left over ham? Enjoy grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Try Cranberry Sauce with Victoria Taylor’s Pie Seasoning instead of mayonnaise or mustard.
